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July 1, 2011

Red Sox Release "It Gets Better" Video

The Red Sox are the third major league team to produce an "It Gets Better" video. Earlier this year, the San Francisco Giants became the first professional sports team to join the It Gets Better campaign. The Chicago Cubs have also made a video.

It is fantastic that the Red Sox have done this - and we have Sam Maden, a 12-year-old Sox fan from Nashua, New Hampshire, to thank. Maden circulated an online petition in honour of his uncle, Chris Nutile, a supporter of the Trevor Project, who died unexpectedly earlier this year at age 43. It began:

Greetings, Boston Red Sox. Every day, gay and lesbian teens in middle school and high school are made fun of and bullied. It's sad that some of them are bullied so badly, they commit suicide. There are videos on YouTube called "It Gets Better" that tell young people it is OK to be who they are.

My name is Sam, I am 12 years old and my two friends and I really like the Boston Red Sox. We have looked up ways to change our community, and our country. On YouTube and Facebook you can see examples of "It Gets Better" videos. There are hundreds. So please, can you make a video to help young gay and lesbian teens? You can help us save lives one teen at a time.

Sam received 5,000 signatures in the first 24 hours.

This is something I can do to honor him. Uncle Chris knew how much I love the Red Sox and I think he would have been thrilled with the team making an "It Gets Better" video to support kids. ... I would like to see Dustin Pedroia in it because he is my favorite player and Jason Varitek because he is the captain of the team and seen as the leader of the Red Sox.

Pedroia is not in the video, although Varitek is.

Anything a team does in support of this cause should be applauded, but I find it odd (and discouraging) that only two players from the team participated in the video. Also, Yook, Tito, and Tek were on screen for (by my rough count) only 18 of the PSA's 60 seconds. (There are four other people in the video, with various connections to the Red Sox.)

By contrast, take a look at the Giants' remarkable video. There are only three players predominantly featured (though five appear), but it is much stronger and more direct in its language, and they are the only ones on screen for the entire video. The Red Sox should have given Youkilis, Varitek, and Francona more screen time.

17 comments:

I also posted the vid this morning, and I thought the same thing: why only Tito, Tek and Yook? I wonder if other players were asked and declined? Or if there's some other explanation - scheduling (?), editing...?

In my previous life I did a lot of work with MLB clubs. Not sure about the Red Sox in particular but almost all of the clubs I worked with had somewhere between “tightly controlled” and “VERY tightly controlled” access to players. Especially in the “big name” players contracts there were specified numbers of appearances that the player had to make on behalf of the team that were negotiated (for sponsor events, PSA’s, marketing, charity, etc…). Depending on the player or the team, there was usually a little (but sometimes no) deviation from what they had agreed on (not surprisingly, for example, A-Rod was known to be an ass if the Rangers wanted him to do something outside of his agreement… Palmeiro, on the other hand, was a lot more accommodating). Along the same line, the Rangers (as an example) were good about asking players even if it wasn’t in their agreement, the Dodgers wouldn’t consider it…

I agree that anything the team does in support of the message should be applauded – but not sure it is fair to criticize them (or the players) for the final product. The format (multiple people, quick shots, switch between black and white and color, etc…) almost assuredly came from some media person inside the Red Sox organization (or a firm they hired). Either the media person suggested three people from the organization or they were told at the outset they could have Tito, Tek, and Yook (based on their agreements with the team) for the shoot. (Probably the same process for the Giants and the media person chose to stick exclusively with player shots.) I expect that FY was considered (since he was mentioned in the letter) and was excluded either because the Sox already had enough PSA commitments for him and didn’t want to ask or they asked and he said no. If it’s the latter, then shame on him if it was because he had some aversion to the message.

Regardless of all the speculation about contracts and media firms, etc… I am mostly struck with the thought that Sam Maden’s uncle would have been very proud of him… what a neat kid.

It's important to consider the historical context - ten years ago, you wouldn't be able to find a single MLB player to even say the words "sexual orientation," much less admit (admirably, I might add) that they've been to therapy, and that it's "ok."

I think this video is a net good and that rather than criticize other players for not being in it (for reasons we don't know - could be personal preference, could be editing, scheduling, as you said, laura), we should applaud the organization, specifically Tito, Tek, and Youk, for riding with the times and doing something positive.

This only makes me respect those players more, as well as the kid that got the ball rolling.

The Red Sox really could have done some good and put out an "It Gets Better" video in November 2003.

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Brad, thanks for your info.

Since some of the quick cuts of Tito and Tek have them saying 1 or 2 words, I think if any other player or coach was involved, he would be in the video. That doesn't seem like an editing issue.

The specific number of appearances/PSAs, etc. for a player is interesting. A player cannot say Yes to everything*, but since this was likely filmed at Fenway during the day (before a night game?), I assume the entire team (or most of them) was around. Even if Pedroia had fulfilled his quota of charity stuff (and Sullivan Tire commercials), it seems like he could have taken two minutes from his daily cribbage game with Tito and said the commercial's final "It Gets Better" for Sam's sake.

I think this video is a net good and that rather than criticize other players for not being in it ... we should applaud the organization, specifically Tito, Tek, and Youk, for riding with the times and doing something positive.

I have no idea who you are directing your comment to. No one has claims the video was not a net good. I said: "It is fantastic that the Red Sox have done this" and "Anything a team does in support of this cause should be applauded".

These videos help the ones who get picked on , but falls deaf on those who need to hear it......

I don't know. I don't think kids who bully are born bullies. They learn their attitudes from the people around them. The video shows people, whom a lot of kids look up to, with a different message. I'd like to think it can make a difference. One video isn't going to change the culture of homophobia, but no one thing will. It's a step in the right direction.

These videos help the ones who get picked on , but falls deaf on those who need to hear it......

Well, both kids need to hear it, the victims of bullying, and the bullies themselves. I do think the increased focus on bullying may help short-circuit some potential bullying, but even if it doesn't, it can still help victims feel less alone.

And I agree, bullying sucks, no matter what the excuse. It Gets Better started out with a focus on LGBT kids, but has dovetailed with a general anti-bullying campaign.

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In general, I think anybody who bothers to read Allan's post will see that he is merely looking critically (i.e. doing his job as a blogger) at the video, not trashing it, and certainly not saying it's not a good thing.

One video isn't going to change the culture of homophobia, but no one thing will.

This is the central issue and problem with so many cynical dismissals of activism. If we're waiting for One Big Thing that will Change The World, well, we have to give up and walk away. The effects of all actions are cumulative. These videos are part of the puzzle. Plus, you never know which part will reach which person. So we all just do what we can, and it all works together.

This isn't directed at anyone here. Just a related tangent in response to rampant cynicism.